Delhi floods: Families along Yamuna relief camp struggle with shelter, food, and hygiene; children bear the brunt

NEW DELHI: Twenty-two-year-old Maya stands in the doorway of her jhuggi in Majnu Ka Tila area, her face showing signs of exhaustion. The place where her children once played now lies submerged, with the family forced to take shelter in a makeshift relief camp set up in a nearby school.

But her one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter are struggling to adjust to the food provided there. So, like many others, Maya returns to her jhuggi to cook a meal daily, clinging to some semblance of normality.


"We are scared of insects and mosquitoes, even snakes. But we have no option," she says with a faint smile.

Maya is not the only mother struggling to shield her children in the face of uncertainty and hardship. As the Yamuna spills into the city, several families that have lived along its banks for generations and migrants who moved in search of a livelihood are grappling with hunger and devastation, and hope to get respite in some form.

At a rescue camp on Ring Road near the Geeta Colony flyover, Asha has been tending to her eight-year-old son, who can barely speak because of fever. Seated under a tent and watching water drip off its edges, she says, "Our children are sick and we have no clue how to get medicines. Hospitals are also difficult to reach."

Standing next to her, Suman clutched the arm of her 11-year-old daughter, who was rushed to a hospital for an injection due to high fever. "The food came very late last night when we were all fast asleep. How would one even feel like eating in such a situation?" she asked.

The hardships extend beyond food and shelter. Many residing in the camps, especially women, are facing challenges when it comes to even the most basic needs. Rama, who is staying at another camp nearby with her two daughters, says hygiene is an issue for young girls in the absence of proper washrooms and sanitary napkins.

"Many resort to using discarded cloth, washing it at the camp. The toilets are distant, dark, dirty and unsafe. The girls are terrified of stepping out at night," she says.

Adjacent to the camp, in the heart of Yamuna Bazar, ghat workers, cremation handlers, tea sellers, cowherds and shopkeepers find themselves stripped of their livelihoods. Many said the past week reminded them of the floods two years ago.

Vivek, who is from UP's Mathura, used to take care of cows and assisted in rituals at the riverside with his uncle. Now, his home is submerged and his livelihood jeopardised. "The river fed many of us here and we sent our earnings back home. We do not know what to tell our families," he said.

A senior govt official from Civil Lines said the food supply has been increased and denied any shortage. Another senior official from Kotwali said a medical team is scheduled to visit on Saturday and the issue of sanitary napkins will be addressed.